Math, Madison, food, the Orioles, books, my kids.

The Big Short: two linguistic notes

Excellent deployment of the word “crappy” to describe the bundles of subprime mortgages being sold by the banks as AAA-quality bonds. The pure derisiveness of “crappy” denies these entities the tinge of respect that comes with being called “toxic” or “high-risk” or “ticking bombs.” Also, it calls to mind craps, which is to say, the voluntary taking on of a gamble you ought to know is stacked against you. And then Lewis shows you the bankers actually playing craps at a convention in Las Vegas, and manages to resist making the linguistic connection explicit! Good writing.

But: he starts at least three paragraphs with “Enter the…” which should be stricken from all lexicons for good.

Share this:

Like this:

Related

One thought on “The Big Short: two linguistic notes”

The only problem I have with ‘crappy’ is that, at least to me, it merely suggests second-rate (I agree that its etymology implies something worse, but current usage seems to have watered that meaning down.) Is there a good adjective that indicates a degree of contempt for the people who rated them as AAA? Perhaps it is wrong to try and use an adjective in this sort of transitive way (IANAL), but I think to not do so plays into the hands of the people who would like us to regard the mortgage debacle as something like an unpredictable natural disaster – the problem was these crappy mortgages, and the people involved were merely bystanders (or victims, even).